This invention relates to an accessory tray for ladders and, more particularly, to an adjustable tray for holding paint cans, tools and the like of improved stability.
Painters, carpenters, and other tradesmen often require ladders to accomplish their work. Such workers constantly experience the difficulty of safely holding and using a myriad of tools and materials while standing on the ladder. Workers must either make frequent trips up and down the ladder to obtain needed items or attempt to carry everything up the ladder at the same time.
Various devices have been proposed which attach to hollow rung ladders for holding tools and supplies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,911 to Riley, however, is representative of a common problem with existing ladder accessory trays. Tray support arms which are inserted into hollow rungs of a ladder are typically secured only by screwable fasteners which can loosen over time, allowing the support arms to rotate and the tray to suddenly slope or even fall from the ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,794 to Given seeks to overcome this problem by utilizing specifically machined, and presumably expensive, hardware to prevent arm rotation.
In addition, it is difficult for one person to maintain or adjust the horizontal position of a ladder tray while tightening the support arms where the tightening means is significantly displaced from the tray itself. Failure to keep the tray level during adjustment may result in falling paint cans and tools, the results of which can be costly and dangerous. A further disadvantage of existing devices is that the entire device, including support arms, typically must be removed from the ladder during transport and/or storage.
It is therefore desirable to have a ladder accessory device for holding tools and materials having a means of securement to a hollow rung ladder such that rotation of supporting arms within the rungs is prevented. The secondary means of securement should not require any special hardware. It is further desirable that the tray be conveniently adjustable to maintain a level position without a worker having to dismount from the ladder or unload the tray. In addition, it is desirable that the supporting arms within the rungs optionally remain in the ladder during transport and/or storage.